The present invention relates to a knife, and more specifically to a folding knife.
Typically, a conventional folding knife includes a blade and a handle connected thereto by a pivot axis. The blade has an edge, which can be folded and concealed in the handle, and a knifepoint formed at the end opposite the pivot axis. The conventional folding knife so constructed that the blade thereof is concealed in the handle, with one edge of the blade being received within the handle, but typically the other edge is exposed. As a result, the length of the blade has to be less than that of the handle, and only one sharpened edge can be formed on the blade, which limits the utility of the folding knife.
An advantageous feature of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is to provide a folding knife with a blade longer than the handle and double sharpened edges.
In one aspect, the present invention provides for a folding knife, comprising a blade pivotably attached to a handle by a pivot axis. The blade includes at least one locating projection and a locking projection. The handle includes an unlocking unit. The folding knife also includes a sheath, which includes an accommodating slot that receives therein said blade, a locating slot which receives therein the at least one locating projection, and a leaf spring provided within the sheath and aligned with said accommodating slot. The leaf spring is attached to the sheath and has a first end including a locking face, the locking face engaging the locking projection when the blade is inserted in said accommodating slot, and an unlocking face aligned to be engaged by the unlocking unit when the handle is rotated about the pivot axis.
The invention may further provide for a folding knife wherein the first end of the leaf spring comprises a wedge-shaped block, with one face of said block being the locking face and a second face of the block being the unlocking face. The unlocking unit is an unlocking projection and the thickness of the locking projection is no greater than the thickness of the wedge-shaped block or the unlocking unit is a lateral pin and the thickness of the lateral pin is no greater than the thickness of the wedge-shaped block.
The invention may further provide for a grip, a first end of the grip forming a shearing sheet and being rotatably attached to the sheath and to a shearing seat having a shearing blade by a shearing axis. The folding knife may further provide for a locking frame pivotably attached to the sheath and having an end that engages with and locks in place a second end of the grip, wherein the leaf spring has a second end that engages with and is elastically deformed by the grip when the grip is in a closed position.
In another aspect, the present invention provides for a folding knife comprising a blade pivotably attached to a handle at one end, having a point at another end, and having at first and second edge, wherein said first edge is received within said handle when said blade is in a closed position. The invention further provides for a a sheath, having a first slot for receiving therein said second edge of said blade and including a leaf spring in registry with said slot, the leaf spring including a locking face that engages with and locks into place said blade when said second edge is inserted into said slot, the leaf spring further including an unlocking face that engages with said handle, when said handle is rotated about said blade, wherein said locking face is disengaged from said blade when said handle engages with said unlocking face.